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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22517374">Bedtime Stories</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/obikin/pseuds/obikin'>obikin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Force Soulmates, Gen, Master &amp; Padawan Relationship(s), Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Soulmates, i don't know where im going with this bro, i suck at star wars lore forgive me, soulmates don't have to be romantic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:40:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,773</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22517374</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/obikin/pseuds/obikin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmates are a children's tale, a myth.</p><p>But they are a Jedi myth, after all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>125</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Myth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>When Anakin is very young, he asks Obi-Wan what soulmates are. And Obi-Wan tells him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soulmates were a children’s tale.</p><p>That’s what Obi-Wan told him when he was just a young padawan, his braid barely reaching to the top of his ear.</p><p>Anakin had grown up around traders and smugglers, men who would spin tales in the cantinas and gossip in the shop and Anakin sat quietly in the back, engrossed in repairing some droid or another, but still listening, always listening.</p><p>He had heard of angels and wonderous planets, of terrifying creatures and perilous journeys.</p><p>And, he had heard of soulmates.</p><p>“Anakin, they’re children’s stories,” Obi-Wan had told him, his voice soft and comforting.</p><p>“But I want to know Ob-Master!” Anakin begged, still not quite used to the way that the Jedi referred to each other. “Even if they’re just stories, what if they end up being true! What if – what if we get assigned on a mission and somebody’s soulmate is in danger and-“</p><p>Obi-Wan chuckles, but it’s not mean-spirited. Not how Anakin is used to being laughed at. There’s even a hint of a smile at Obi-Wan’s lips.</p><p>“Alright, just this once. You’re becoming a little old for bedtime stories and mythical tales.” Obi-Wan motioned for Anakin to climb into his bed, and he did, scrambling into it. He was still not quite used to the comforts of Jedi life. Although he had heard some of the other, older padawans complain that their lodgings during their travels and on their various ships were far more comfortable, more luxurious, Anakin couldn’t imagine anything softer than his new bed.</p><p>He stared up at Obi-Wan as he leaned against the edge of the bed. Close enough for Anakin to see him in the dim light, but not like his mother, who would climb into bed with him, pull him close and whisper the tales that she knew. <em>Obi-Wan wasn’t allowed to have attachments</em>, Anakin thought. He and his master had already covered that conversation multiple times. That Anakin wasn’t allowed to hug him, wasn’t allowed to hold his hand.</p><p>“This story actually comes from the Jedi, believe it or not,” Obi-Wan began, smiling down at Anakin, “so it is, technically, a part of our mythology. My master told it to me when I was much younger than you.” Obi-Wan looked down, wrung his hands in his lap. Anakin looked down too, because Obi-Wan did.</p><p>“Long ago, there was rumored to be two Jedi. This was when the code was not as strict, and when the Jedi were not as conservative with the bonds they forged. Almost every knight, every padawan, was connected by a Force bond.”</p><p>“Like us?” Anakin asked. He knew that he and Obi-Wan had a Force bond, that it was related to their training. It was weird whenever he felt it, like a tickling in the back of his mind, whenever Obi-Wan strengthened it, or when he tried to see deeper into Anakin’s emotions. He can’t do the same yet, isn’t as in control of that aspect of the Force, but he does remember the time he accidentally tapped back into Obi-Wan, and it seemed like it hurt his Master. Obi-Wan had needed to visit the medbay for the headache he got from it. Anakin wasn’t sure what to think of Force bonds because of this. He still didn’t know what they were for.</p><p>“Yes. You are my padawan, and I am your master, so we share a training bond. But it is a temporary bond so that I can help you become a better Jedi. Once you are knighted, the bond will be severed.”</p><p>“Why?” Anakin didn’t mind either way, but it seemed weird. Why spend all that time on something just to throw it away?</p><p>“Because then you won’t need it anymore, dear one.” Obi-Wan laughed, looked as if he wanted to lean in closer, but he didn’t. “You will be a knight, and bonds such as those would distract you. If I were to be hurt, you would feel it strongly in the Force, and that might prevent you from completing a mission. It distracts, like all attachments do.”</p><p>“But if you were hurt, I would want to help you!” Anakin declared, as stubborn as ever. Obi-Wan shook his head.</p><p>“You have much to learn about attachment, dear padawan. But I thought you wanted to hear a story?”</p><p>Anakin remembered there purpose here, and pressed his lips closed. He really did want to know about the soulmates.</p><p>“Before the Jedi knew the dangers of attachment, everyone was bonded. Some stronger than others, of course, usually padawan and master, or close comrades in battle. Each time Jedi would fight together, or train together, the bonds would strengthen and grow.</p><p>“But there was one pair that was different. It is unknown how they were initially bonded – whether they were comrades or a master and padawan – but they were strong. Their forms were complimentary, their fighting styles in sync due to their strengthened bond. Their personalities matched, and so they were able to work through any problem together. Because of this, they were often sent on missions together.</p><p>“On one such mission, the two had to split up in order to accomplish their mission. One of the pair was ambushed, and gravely injured. They cried out in pain, and their partner heard them through the Force. As if their power with the Force grew tenfold, the other rushed to them, a fast as lightning. They defended their partner, and they fought together, and their love and trust grew so great that their Force signatures merged.”</p><p>Anakin’s eyes were wide. He had always thought that soulmates were like mothers and fathers – like love. But he could never imagine a Force signature merging. Even with his rudimentary knowledge, he knew that each animal, each plant, each person was unique within the Force. He could feel them around him, all the time. He had never felt two signatures that were exactly the same.</p><p>“Where one knight started and the other ended, neither of them could tell. They shared their thoughts, their emotions, as easily as breathing. And although they now could see past all mental shields, the trust between them left those secret places in their minds alone. They were so deeply intertwined that the other Jedi could feel their merging through their own bonds, and they were shocked and frightened. Never had they felt one being, one signature, that was so strong in the Force.</p><p>"The elders were worried that the newly merged pair was too powerful. That the energy they possessed was unnatural, like the merging of their souls into one. They decided that the pair was far too dangerous, and if they turned to the dark side, there would be no hope for the Jedi.</p><p>“It is said that it was this incident, the emergence of the soulmates, that the code was changed. That attachments were deemed dangerous, and those bonds were always severed, to prevent the creation of another unnatural pair of soulmates.”</p><p>Anakin frowned up at Obi-Wan, and the older man looked shocked.</p><p>“What is it, young one?” he asked, trying to sound calm and soothing. Anakin pouted.</p><p>“That isn’t right. What happened to the soulmates? Was there only ever the one pair? Why were the Jedi so afraid of them?”</p><p>“Oh, Anakin.” Obi-Wan shook his head. “I believe that the Order had their bond severed. The ending of the story has been lost to time. Because of the new rules, there has never been a story of another pair of soulmates.”</p><p>“That’s stupid.” Anakin crossed his arms to pout further. “They should have been able to stay together. They were special! Maybe they were chosen too!”</p><p>Obi-Wan’s gaze softened. “Special does not always mean good, my young padawan. Some power is dangerous when left in the wrong hands.”</p><p>“But how did the Jedi know they had the wrong hands? That they were bad? Maybe they were just in love!”</p><p>“Sometimes it does not matter if one is good or bad in the moment. Anyone can fall, Anakin. The Jedi saw how the pair reacted in that time of fear and distress, and the emotions they felt, the passion. It was unstable. With their minds so deeply intertwined, there was bound to be problems, to be pain. The Jedi would not want to risk the possibility.”</p><p>“They were scared. They were cowards.” Anakin wiggles further into his pillow, so that his crossed arms were pushed up to his chin. Obi-Wan sighed.</p><p>“Anakin, sometimes one has to practice self-preservation.”</p><p>“Sometimes the Jedi are stupid,” Anakin grumbled. Obi-Wan knelt down this time, and took Anakin’s shoulders in his hands. Anakin was so surprised from the touch – something that Obi-Wan almost never did – that he looked up.</p><p>“You are a Jedi, Anakin. Do not let an old myth sway you. You have a duty to the Order. Soulmates may be a Jedi myth, but they are still a myth. They are not real, young one. They have not existed. They are a lesson to be learned – a lesson about how attachment is harmful.”</p><p>Anakin stayed there, arms crossed over his chest, not budging. He still didn’t believe his master. He knew that soulmates had to be real, just like angels. Even if they weren’t what he thought they were, they were still real. He wanted to believe that Jedi could be bonded that deeply. Wanted to believe that if the Force had willed a merging of souls, that attachment couldn’t be bad. That maybe it was the Jedi who were wrong.</p><p>That maybe somewhere, out there, Anakin had a soulmate too.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this has been expanded into a multi-chapter series now! please check the tags with each new chapter so you're aware of any warnings</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Pairs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Anakin stresses over a pairs sparring test, since he doesn't get along well with his fellow padawans.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks to some lovely comments, I've decided to expand this work!</p><p>over the next few chapters, we'll see how Anakin and Obi-Wan's bond grows while Anakin is still a padawan. enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By age sixteen, Anakin had a far different view of the Jedi than many of the other padawans.</p><p>It was probably because he was inducted at such a late age, he mused. Obi-Wan had said that he was taken so young that he didn’t even remember his family.</p><p>Maybe that’s what made it so much easier for the other padawans. Maybe that’s why they gave him dirty looks when he was twelve and hugged his master in front of them. Maybe that’s why they made fun of him for sharing quarters with Obi-Wan until he was fifteen.</p><p>Anakin had initially thought, once he had finished his intensive initiation training with Obi-Wan and master Yoda, that the other padawans would be like him. That they would be able to hug and hold hands, that they wouldn’t mind sharing their thoughts and fears.</p><p>But he was very, very wrong.</p><p>He saw other padawans touching sometimes, of course. There were rumors of trysts, and friends jumping happily into each other’s arms. There were playful shoves and clear love.</p><p>But not with Anakin. They all looked at him as if he were some kind of insect under a magnifying glass – something strange that they didn’t quite know how to interact with. Maybe it was how eager he was to talk to them about his latest droid build, or maybe it was the prophecy hanging over his head. But none of them were the friend he had so desperately wanted. The friend that he truly needed.</p><p>He spent a lot of time alone, thinking of his old friends on Tatooine, some of whom he couldn’t even remember properly. He thought often of Padme, of the fact that even if he couldn’t go back home, that one day she might return to Coruscant, that maybe they could talk, and laugh, since she doesn’t have to worry as much about attachment and duty.</p><p>Surprisingly, Obi-Wan was his most trusted confidant.</p><p>While the other Jedi had always doubted Anakin, looked at him with disdain for being inducted so late, for questioning each aspect of the code time and time again, Obi-Wan had never once faltered. They had their differences, and their arguments, but at the end of the day, he was the most amazing man Anakin had ever known.</p><p>This is why, when Anakin learned of the padawans’ latest training exercise, he begged for an exception.</p><p>“If we are to participate in pairs training, it makes the most sense. We have an uneven number of padawans, so I can just take my master as my partner.” Anakin said it as if it were the most sensible thing in the world, but it was clear by the discomfort on Obi-Wan’s face that he was somewhat embarrassed by his padawan’s suggestion. Windu was equally unimpressed.</p><p>“Or, one padawan could just have two partners. They could pair with you, as well as another padawan, for your sparring matches,” he tried to explain carefully and calmly, irritated that they even needed to have this discussion.</p><p>But Anakin, stubborn as even, continued to stand firm.</p><p>“But that would place unnecessary strain on that padawan! It would be much fairer to simply have one person paired with their master!”</p><p>“Anakin, that doesn’t make any sense. I’m a fully knighted Jedi. It would be completely unfair to any padawan I would be sparring against, even if it is in pairs practice. You need to learn how to communicate and collaborate with your peers, my padawan.” Obi-Wan countered, clearly seeing through Anakin’s façade. He wasn’t worried about fairness, he just didn’t want to take any of the padawans as his pairs partner. They all hated him anyway, so what point would there be for him to try and synchronize with them? It would just lead to a bad sparring match, and a bad representation of how Anakin could fight alongside his comrades. He’s sure that if he would be allowed to fight alongside Obi-Wan – someone he respected and already meshed well with – that the result would be far superior.</p><p>Yoda made a contemplative noise, observing the conversation for quite a long time before inserting himself into it. Anakin often wondered how he could do that – just sit and watch without saying a thing. But most of the time, whatever Yoda said was far more profound than anyone else present would expect.</p><p>“A point, young Skywalker has. Respect him, the other padawans do not. Perhaps, compromise is in order.” He nodded, as if he was especially pleased with the phrasing he used. “One match, fight alongside a fellow padawan, Skywalker will. Another, with his master, he will. The result, balanced, will be.”</p><p>Windu looked at Yoda as if the Jedi master had picked a small animal off the ground and swallowed it whole. Obi-Wan seemed equally surprised, yet thoughtful.</p><p>“Master Yoda does have a point, Master Windu. Anakin does not have the best rapport with the other padawans. Perhaps an exception should indeed be made – although I’m not sure I fully agree with it.” Obi-Wan eyed Anakin as he spoke those last words, as if he was trying to put his foot down and let Anakin know that he wouldn’t always get his way. But Anakin’s eyes were sparkling as he tried not to smile, and Obi-Wan couldn’t keep his stern façade up for long.</p><p>Windu sighed. “Alright, it doesn’t matter either way for me. As long as Skywalker performs well, and he doesn’t lean on his master as a crutch.” Windu fixed Anakin with an icy stare, and Anakin glared back, determined.</p><p>“I don’t rely on my master to make up for my shortcomings, Master Windu,” Anakin replies, only barely keeping the venom from dripping off his voice. The two stared at each other for a short while, before Windu and Master Yoda dismissed themselves, leaving Obi-Wan and Anakin alone.</p><p>Anakin had time to be self-satisfied for only a few seconds before Obi-Wan turned to fix him with a tired look.</p><p>“Anakin, you can’t keep distancing yourself from the other padawans,” he chided. Anakin’s previously cheerful demeanor faded as his eyebrows scrunched together, confused and upset.</p><p>“I’m distancing myself? They hate me, master, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.” Anakin tried to keep the pout out of his voice, but it didn’t exactly work. Couldn’t Obi-Wan see that he was the only person Anakin actually trusted to fight alongside him? The only person who seemed to care about him at all?</p><p>“They don’t hate you, young one,” Obi-Wan sighed, as if Anakin was so young, and the world wasn’t painted right in front of him. Annoyance flowed under Anakin’s cold frown.</p><p>“Even if they don’t hate me, they don’t trust me. None of them do. Whenever I ask, none of them want to train together, none of them want to meditate with me, or spar, or even just sit next to me in the library!” Anakin willed Obi-Wan to understand him, trying to pull on Obi-Wan’s end of the bond, but as usually, he was hit with his master’s fortified mental walls. Not for the first time, he wondered what the point of their bond was, if Anakin couldn’t tell his master how he was feeling through it.</p><p>“Well, you’re not exactly the easiest person to meditate with,” Obi-Wan countered, with the hint of a smile at his lips. Anakin resisted the urge to smile back and crossed his arms.</p><p>“That’s not the point, master! They have all sparred with each other countless times, they’ve spent time together and learned each other’s favorite forms, their weak spots – I don’t know anything about them. How can I spar in partners with someone whose fighting style I don’t even know?” Anakin wished that Obi-Wan would just understand him, would just take a moment to think about how Anakin might feel, how lonely it was being the chosen one, how it seemed like everyone was against him.</p><p>“Maybe this exercise is supposed to help you with that, my padawan. Not everything is about being the best. Much of your training centers around your ability to fail, and then try again.” Obi-Wan spoke softly, quietly, as if he wanted to press Anakin into a hug and rub small circles on his back. Or, perhaps, that’s what Anakin wished he would do instead of just speak to him as if he were still a small child.</p><p>“The masters have already spoken. We’ll be paired together for sparring. So in one match, I can be comfortable and work with someone I already know, and in another match, I can get to know someone else’s fighting style. It’s fair like that, like Master Yoda said.” Anakin knew he only used the superiority of the masters to his advantage when they agreed with him, but Obi-Wan seemed to buy it every time. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair.</p><p>“Yes, we will. But you should spend most of your time practicing with your fellow padawan. I highly doubt the masters will base the majority of their opinion on your match with your fellow padawan, instead of your very old and wizened master.” Obi-Wan was still smiling, and this time Anakin smiled back.</p><p>“Don’t worry, master. I won’t let you down.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Pairs, Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Anakin meets his padawan sparring partner, and asks Obi-Wan for advice.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Anakin was paired with Ruteen Takua, a Togruta who mostly kept to himself. It made sense that he would be tasked with being Anakin’s sparring partner, since he never seemed to have a problem wherever their peers or masters put him. It was almost unnerving how quiet and calm he was, as if he were eons older than his true age.</p><p>“So…. What’s your favorite form?” Anakin asked, trying to gain some idea of who this unusually quiet boy was. “Mine’s Djem So right now.”</p><p>“It is my goal to master all Jedi forms equally,” Ruteen replied, his voice soft and melodic. Anakin raised an eyebrow at him.</p><p>“Well, yeah, I would love to master all the forms eventually too, but my master said that almost every Jedi has a favorite.”</p><p>“I do not have any favorites. I appreciate every form equally.” Anakin sighed, tried to blow the padawan braid out of his face.</p><p>“Oh-<em>kay</em>… do you have one that you’re best at, then? That your master says you’re the most advanced in?”</p><p>“Hmm…” The Togruta considered this, rubbing his chin. Anakin tried not to fidget too much. This kid was annoying him already, with his overly peaceful demeanor and his slow, deliberate manner of speech. Obi-Wan was annoying sometimes, with all his talk about the code, and balance, and peace, but Force, he wasn’t nearly this bad.</p><p>“I suppose I am most experienced in Niman.”</p><p>Anakin nodded, happy to at least know the boy’s fighting style now. Even if it wasn’t the Soretsu he was used to fighting alongside.</p><p>“OK, we can work with that.” Anakin smiled at his pairs partner, hoping to build some sort of relationship with the strange kid. Ruteen was strange, sure, but he hadn’t given Anakin any dirty looks before, and he seemed nice enough. Maybe they could be friends.</p><p>Ruteen just stared back at Anakin, serene and calm, but not smiling back.</p><p>OK, maybe this would be a little more difficult than he first anticipated.</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>Anakin slammed into the ground once more, and this time he couldn’t repress the growl of frustration that escaped his lips.</p><p>“Ruteen! You have to watch my back!” He yelled, as the Togruta watched on as the training droid powered down, his eyes blank and void of emotion or concern.</p><p>It happened the same way, every time. Anakin, with his more offensive technique, would charge forward. He knew how to handle the training droids, even on their most advanced settings. But that was with only one droid. With two, he needed Ruteen’s help, but the boy didn’t have the best offensive techniques he’d ever seen, to say the least.</p><p>Anakin was too stubborn to ask for help, so the first few times he had fought the two droids on his own, as Ruteen watched on with that dreamy look on his face. Anakin was exhausted, though, and he knew that the masters would not be pleased by his lack of cooperation.</p><p>So, he had drawn back. He had waited until one droid engaged him, and the other Ruteen, and used his much more limited knowledge of defensive forms until he had the advantage and could go on the offense.</p><p>But inevitably, Ruteen would miss a parry, or his wrist would be too weak on a strike, and Anakin would have to defend him from their opponents. But Ruteen would not do the same for Anakin. Afterwards, when Anakin would be surrounded by the droids, his partner would just watch on, like he was intrigued, instead of any normal emotion one would have in the heat of battle.</p><p>Even now, as Anakin – sweaty and red and irritated – called him out on his stupidity, Ruteen was unfazed, serene and calm.</p><p>“But you were not in danger. It is clear by your abilities that you could easily defeat two training droids by yourself.”</p><p>Anakin groaned, scrubbing his hands down his face.</p><p>“That’s not the point, Ruteen! In a few days, we’ll have to spar against another pair of padawans. I’ll need your help.”</p><p>“But you are the chosen one. Your lightsaber forms are far more advanced than my own. It is unnecessary for me to fight with you – I would not be supporting you, I would simply be weighing you down, another body for you to protect when I inevitably make a mistake.”</p><p>Ruteen said it with such a calm, blank face, that it shocked Anakin. Ruteen was right, of course. He was one of the least experienced in their cohort of padawans. Anakin had spent most of his time protecting Ruteen and making up for his mistakes, instead of each of them supporting the other in their battle.</p><p>“That’s not the point, though!” Anakin sighed through gritted teeth, trying anything he could to get through to this boy. “I’m sure you’ve fought alongside your master before, right? And you’re not as good as him, but you still support each other. You can save him just like he saves you! I’ve fought alongside Obi-Wan before, and he’s lightyears ahead of me, but I’ve still saved him before!”</p><p>“But it is not logical for us to pair together. Our forms do not compliment. It is difficult for us to anticipate the other’s moves.”</p><p>“That’s why we need to practice, Ruteen! So let’s go again!”</p><p>XXXXX</p><p>Anakin practically threw himself onto Obi-Wan’s bed, groaning in pain as he hit it. He and Ruteen had spent the entire morning and most of the afternoon training together, with little progress. The boy’s Niman was rudimentary, due to his underdeveloped skills with the Force, and the incredibly balanced and thoughtful form didn’t work very well against the training droids. It was very, very difficult for Anakin to match his Djem So to the rhythm of the fight, and more often than not, it was because he relied the most on his physical strength, rather than Ruteen, who seemed to value his mind the most.</p><p>Either way, Anakin was bruised and battered and maybe even mildly burned from the training droids. He was supposed to meditate with his master when Obi-Wan returned from a meeting, but he didn’t know if his body would allow him to.</p><p>He was still sprawled across the sheets when the soft click of the door signaled Obi-Wan’s arrival. Anakin groaned, but didn’t move.</p><p>He heard more than saw Obi-Wan stop in front of the bed, and when he looked up, his master had his hands on his hips.</p><p>“Anakin,” his voice was chiding, but still amused<em>. Amused at my pain</em>, Anakin grumbled.</p><p>“Master, can we please push back the meditation until tomorrow or something? I feel like my bruises have bruises.”</p><p>Obi-Wan chuckled and the mattress dipped as he sat next to Anakin, leaning over him just enough for Anakin to see the soft smile on his face. What a traitor.</p><p>“I take it practice with your new partner didn’t go over so well.” Anakin groaned again.</p><p>“Ruteen. His most advanced form is Niman, and not to gossip, master, but it’s not that advanced in all honesty.” Obi-Wan frowned at him, and Anakin raised his hands in defeat. “I’m just being truthful! I feel like half the time I have to defend him instead of fight the way I usually do, and he almost never goes on the offensive, so it’s all so disjointed –“</p><p>“You do understand that perhaps a more defensive form, like Soretsu, might better support your new friend?” Obi-Wan was calm, and helpful, but Anakin just huffed.</p><p>“I know, but I’m not as good at Soretsu as you are, master. You know I always slip into Djem So anyway! So what’s the point?”</p><p>“The point is, young one, that Soretsu is a strong defensive form, and it sounds like you and your partner will need that in your pairs sparring. Anakin, you are the most advanced duelist among your peers. That means that when you support them in battle, you will have to use your own knowledge in order to help them, not charge ahead and expect them to catch up. You need to take a defensive stance and help them catch up.” Anakin tilted his head to fix Obi-Wan with a look. His master was right, of course. It made so much sense for him to just dial it back and take the time to support Ruteen. But-</p><p>“But what if I don’t want to have to stifle myself? Shouldn’t I be able to use my full abilities? Shouldn’t I just be paired with someone who I mesh well with, and Ruteen can be paired with another padawan whose main form is Soretsu or something?”</p><p>“Or, you could you this as an excuse to practice your abysmal Soretsu,” Obi-Wan considered, and Anakin groaned louder.</p><p>“Obi-Wan-!” He whined, and the older man laughed.</p><p>“Anakin, you should see this as a challenge. Aren’t you always asking for more challenging duels? You will be challenged to support Ruteen and strengthen your defensive forms, and you will shine with your Djem So when we pair together in our own sparring match. All will be well, young one.” Obi-Wan actually reached out to ruffle Anakin’s hair, and Anakin made a face at it. He liked the fact that Obi-Wan didn’t shy away from touching him as much anymore, but he still hated it when he ruffled his hair.</p><p>“Then when can we practice, master? So that I don’t feel so stupidly frustrated.”</p><p>“Perhaps after you release that frustration into the Force through meditation-“</p><p>“Master!”</p><p>Obi-Wan chuckled and stood up, motioning towards the meditation mats set up in his room. Anakin grumbled as he crawled to a standing position, but he knew that Obi-Wan was true to his word. After this, they would have their practice, and Anakin always slept well after a successful round of sparring with his master.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>a bit of a filler, but I hope you don't mind! The next chapter is where Anakin and Obi-Wan spar together in pairs!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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